False Senses
by tuckyewin
Summary: Post Breaking Dawn, Edward, Bella, and the rest of the Cullens prepare to celebrate Nessie's first birthday, but a few unexpected guests will change everything.


**Disclaimer:** The characters of this story belong to the wonderful Stephenie Meyers. I could only hope to do them a small amount of justice in her eyes.

**A/N:** I have only just begun to start writing Twilight fan fiction, and this is definitely a work in progress, but I would love some feedback.

"Nessie? _Nessie_? Where are you? Why are you hiding from me?" I wondered aloud as I searched through our quaint cottage. I'd left her sleeping peacefully in her newly decorated room just a couple of hours ago.

"_How _are you hiding from me is the better question," I whispered to myself.

Since becoming a vampire last year, all of my senses have been heightened to an unbelievable degree. My new awareness of everything makes me feel like I was cheated in my human life. Everything is more intense as a vampire; everything is magnified and more amazing than before. Those things being considered, if Nessie was anywhere near me, which she was supposed to be in the house, I should have been able to hear the soft hum of my daughter's rapid heartbeat and smell the unique sweet and earthy scent of her skin. It took me about a second and a half to thoroughly search our small home and find no trace of my daughter there. A sick feeling began to brew in the pit of my stomach. If I were still able to, I would have sworn that I was about to vomit.

As panic rose in my throat my only thought was _find Edward_. I could hear the rapid tempo of his latest composition from where I now stood outside our cottage, and I knew I would find him seated in front of the grand piano in the main house. Under normal circumstances nothing in this world, besides Edward himself, could comfort me the way his music could. There was magic in the music that emitted from those ivory key, and it's soothing effect was undeniable by anyone that was blessed to experience it. His music had even been known to bewitch Emmett into an almost silent, serious state which seemed nearly impossible.

"Edward!" I yelled as I approached the front door. He turned quickly, sensing my escalating fear as it rose in my voice and eyes.

"What's wrong, Bella?" He asked. He had joined me in the foyer before his question was out of his mouth, his arm wrapped snuggly around my waist. I saw my anxiety mirrored in his eyes. I knew my fear tormented Edward because I was the only one whose thoughts he could not hear. It frustrated him to not be able to prepare a response or a solution for me before I verbalized my concerns, thoughts, and fears.

"It's Nessie! I can't find her anywhere! I left her in the cottage to take a nap while I went to hunt, and now she is gone!" The tenor of my voice rising as I spit my words out. A smooth smile spread across Edward's face and I saw the fear in his eyes replaced with… what is that? …amusement? Was he delusional? His arm slipped from my waist and he gently reached for my hands, our fingers intertwining as he continued to listen to me and smile.

"Edward, what is going on? Why are you smiling? Our daughter is missing!" I yelled. I rarely raised my voice with Edward and it felt unnatural. It made the fear that I was feeling seem stronger and more real.

"I love that you are the mother of my daughter, do you know that? Who would have thought that motherhood would have suited you so well? You have embraced motherhood almost as easily as you did becoming a vampire. My god, Bella, you never cease to amaze me."

"What? What are you talking about? Edward, are you listening to me? I can't find our daughter!" I managed to choke out. His smile remained on his face, and I knew that he knew something that I didn't know. _Damn mind reader_.

"Calm down, love, Alice took her shopping in Port Angeles about half an hour ago. You know she isn't napping as long as she used to, so when she woke up Alice decided to take her to get something new to wear for her birthday."

I breathed a sigh of relief and my tensed muscles began to relax. I hadn't realized that I'd been clenching my jaws together since I left our house.

"Wait, What?" I asked as the realization set in. "You let Alice take Nessie shopping? There is no telling what she'll come back in! Alice is so impractical when it comes to buying clothes for Nessie." I whined. "And something new? Are you kidding me? The child has never worn the same thing twice." Alice had an unnatural fixation on all things new, pretty, and _designer_, but she loved to shop for others, especially Nessie. Until Nessie came along, I sometimes felt like I was Alice's walking Barbie doll; her very own fashion emergency. But, she loved finding adorable outfits for Nessie, and as much as I hated to admit it, she did have impeccable taste, and Nessie always looked adorable when Alice dressed her. Of course, she would have been breathtaking in a paper sack. Her soft caramel curls falling down her back and her dazzling chocolate brown eyes were truly a sight to behold. She had inherited my husband's sparking smile and the eyes were mine, but they were so much more startling on her face. I had never believed that a more beautiful person than Edward could exist until we had our daughter.

"Well," Edward's soft voice brought me back to our conversation. "I could tell by how dark your eyes were that you needed to hunt, and I didn't want to disturb you. Also, you know how happy it makes Alice to shop for Nessie. Why should I take that away from her by letting you go with them?" He gave me my favorite crooked smile and I couldn't manage to keep up my phony façade. I caught myself smiling in spite of myself, and I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck. I nestled in close to him so I could savor his hypnotizing scent and placed my head on his shoulder. _God, I was such a sucker when it came to him._

" Besides, it gives us a little alone time," he whispered softly into my ear. I felt his cool breath on my ear as his lips began to move slowly down my jaw line. I tilted my head towards his face just slightly. The sweet smell of his breath was intoxicating and impossible to resist. I loved any amount of alone time that I got to spend with Edward. I was still struggling with balancing my priorities as a vampire, like I said _everything_ intensified, but I had been enjoying all the practice he'd been giving me.

"Shall we?" he asked as he gently began to lead me to the door, his lips barely losing contact with my face. He kissed my throat, my cheeks, my nose, and forehead, peppering my face with his gentle touch. He purposely avoided my lips, despite my attempts to reach his, knowing I would never make it back to the cottage if I was given the chance to feel the electric shock that coursed through my body every time I kissed him. The love and passion I felt towards him was sometimes so overwhelming I could barely stand to be in the same room with him without touching him. I began to let him guide me out the door and towards the forest. We sped through the dense forest and were over the river in no time. We slowed at the entrance to our home. His tawny eyes never left mine as he tenderly took my hand and opened the door. Once we were inside and alone, we tried to control the amount of collateral damage that afternoons like this seemed to leave on our home and Esme's thoughtfully selected furnishings.

*****


End file.
